Naruto Shorts
by HanashiNoSensu
Summary: No, I don't mean his actual shorts. I mean short stories based on characters of the Naruto series. OC AU requests.  So far: Gaara, Iruka, Kakashi, Kisame & Lee *Updated january 2nd 2011* REQUESTS OPEN FOR ANY CHARACTER/OC
1. Lost & Found: A Gaara One Shot

"Isako?" Arisa called out against the rise of the wind. The cold kiss of snowflakes dotted her face as she peeked in doorways and over turned anything he could be hiding under. Worry laced her voice making it tremble further through the shivers that had begun to shake her body, "Isako, where are you?"

She absolutely had to find him; Shiro could not sleep without him. Cold, hopeless, and utterly horrified that she would not be able to she sat down on a park bench and curled up to try and get warm inside her age worn coat; the thick layers tattered on the edges with loose strings hangs about her fingers and legs. She had no idea where that kitten could have gone. _'Stupid, Hisaya and her stupid dog.'_

Not far off from where Arisa sat a trio of outsiders walked through the market district. Temari and Kankuro at least seemed to be enjoying themselves though Kankuro complained continuously about the cold. They had come on business from their village but somehow Temari had convinced them to stick around for another day. She enjoyed the snow, a sight never seen in the Sunagakure. It had been her that found the tiny kitten mewling at the edge of a dark alleyway. He was dirty and from the small patch of blood on his hind leg he was also hurt. Crouching down she held her hand out to him but he hissed weakly, scrambling away with a slight limp and right into Gaara's foot. Both Temari and Kankuro held their breath as the vibrant, sea foam green, eyes looked down upon the cowering kitten. Normally emotionless, there was a slight flicker of confusion in them as he looked from the kitten to the others and back again.

"He's not afraid of Gaara," Temari pointed out as they all watched it continue to hiss and hide from her using Gaara's leg as a shield.

Crouching down the red haired youth let his hand hang curious as to the small cat's reaction once it stopped being scared and got a good whiff of the being that possessed him. Once more, he was given a slight shock as the tan toned kitten pressed its head to his touch and rubbed up against his fingers. "I wonder who he belongs to."

"Probably some freaky psychopath if it's not scared off by…" Kankuro's whisper stilled under Gaara's glare as the kitten was lifted and cradled gently in his arm. "You know what I mean, Gaara. Most animals run away at the smell of you."

"Kankuro."

"What?"

"Shut up." Elbowing him, Temari nodded towards Gaara who was carefully petting the purring kitten beneath its chin. Stepping closer she peeked over at the tiny fluff ball, "Gaara, he should be somewhere warm where we can bandage up his leg and he's probably hungry."

He seemed to be deciding what to do and when he looked up again there was soft questioning in his voice, "what do kittens eat?"

A smile slid across his siblings' lips as she pointed down the row of shops, "I'm sure we can find something he'll like."

Meanwhile, Arisa had decided to give it one last go, figuring she'd try the food vendors and hoping that Isako had gone to try to steal some dinner. She asked each vendor she met if they had seen or chased off a small sandy colored kitten, all of them shook their heads and many people gave her odd looks as she crouched down and called under stalls and tables. She almost neared the end of the strip when, in her aggravation, she turned without paying attention and walked right into a tall boy dressed in foreign clothes. Ramen broth spilled all over the both of them. In her embarrassed panic she began blotting at his chest with a tattered, patch-work, scarf.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have been paying more attention. This should... I-I have a shirt at home you can… I'm so sorry."

Kankuro just stared at her. His typically loud self held in check by both his surprise and the frustrated sadness in her eyes. Swallowing down his angry retort he set aside the small bowl of Ramen and eased her scarf from the trembling grasp. "It's alright, things happen."

Lowering her head, Arisa's hands clutched her coat in a death grip, "they just seem to be happening to me all day today. I'm really sorry."

He had been about to respond when Gaara and Temari joined them; the other man's voice just barely above a whisper as he asked what was going on. Arisa's eyes clenched shut. This was all she needed; his friends seeing what she'd done. She could not believe… A familiar mewl broke the silence and her head came up fast. She didn't even think as she stepped forwards with a happy grin upon her lips.

"Isako!"

Before she realized what happened her outstretched hand was bound in a vice grip by... by sand? She couldn't move her fingers as it squeezed tighter crushing a small whimper from her lips while Temari and Kankuro flanked her and Gaara. Shock and fear widened Arisa's eyes which were unable to look away from the emotionless void of those before her.

Temari's voice was calm but even the young captive could tell there was a hint of panic lying in the depths, "Gaara, it's alright. She didn't know. I think it's her kitten."

"Come on Gaara, you're hurting her."

He didn't even seem to hear them as she stood trembling in his grip completely unable to defend herself. Gaara's skill unyielding even as he spoke, "why did she leave him alone in the cold when he was hurt? How do we even know it's hers, she could be lying."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to. Kitten's run off all the time, right?" Temari looked to the other woman, her eyes pleading with her to agree.

"I-I… He's not mine." Pain shot through her hand as the sands crushed in until bone rubbed bone. The sensation turning her already pale skin white as she found herself needing the supporting arm of the taller boy when it wrapped about her waist. Tears drenched her face. "No, please, that hurts. He's Isako, he's my brother's cat. He… he ran off when a d-dog jumped on me. Please, stop."

Others had paused to watch if they had not hurried on past the little scene. The passing onlookers only making Kankuro and Temari more insistent to end this.

"Gaara, stop. Let her prove it. She can take us to her brother," Kankuro's arm tightened around her waist and when the sands finally slid away, leaving Arisa clutching her injured hand, he carefully lifted her off her feet, bridal style. "Where do you live?"

Curling meekly against him she told them how to get there afraid of showing the red haired boy where she lived but not wanting to know what would happen if she didn't.

Her house was not so much a house as it was a drafty shed just on the outskirts of the thriving town. Kankuro let her down carefully so she could walk in on her own not wanting to scare her brother into thinking she'd been hurt worse then she was. The tiny cook fire inside just barely offset the chill that permeated from the cracks in the walls. Shiro sat across from the door on the single small cot waiting for her return. Fear immediately swamping his eyes at the sight of the visitors but she forced a reassuring smile to her lips as she moved to wrap an arm around him.

"W-who are they?"

"Friends. They found your kitten and helped carry him back."

"Why couldn't you?"

"Oh, you know me. I'm such a klutz," lifting her hand away from her chest she showed him the bruised appendage which earned a frown from his tired face that she tried to kiss away with a gentle touch of her lips to his forehead. "Say thank you to Gaara, Shiro."

Looking up at him, she smiled and found something in his eyes. He couldn't understand why she lied. Why she had spared any dislike from her brother for what he had done to her. Why she had called them friends.

Shiro moved then, holding out his arms for his kitten. His eyes lowered as he thanked Gaara who surprised everyone when he gently handed the small kitten back to him.

"Why did you name him, Isako?"

Peeking up, Shiro felt an embarrassed flush cross his cheeks as his sister rose to fully shutter the single, glassless, window and offer the others what little tea was left while the two spoke together. "I-I saved him from some guys that were burying him in the sand at a construction site. We tried to clean him up but we just kept finding sand everywhere so Arisa said to name him Isako."

"Arisa?" Gaara turned to capture the young woman in his gaze again, "You're, Arisa?"

Nodding, she stepped back handing her brother a cup of warm tea while holding another out to Gaara. "It's all I have to say thank you for bringing Isako back to us."

He looked at the chipped cup, a frown sliding over his lips before he looked to her and her brother. "This cold weather isn't good for your brother, is it?"

Shock widened her eyes and Shiro's blush deepened as he curled deeper into the blankets that hid his thin frame from view. Behind Gaara, the others looked to each other before staring at the back of his head with silent questions raging unspoken.

"N-no, it's not but…"

Gaara just nodded and turned to leave but not before politely finishing the cup of tea, she had given him. The gesture leaving Kankuro dumbfounded enough that his mouth hung open and Temari about to say something but the younger man turned at the door, "We'll be back tomorrow. Be ready to leave."

Arisa was left speechless, shocked and confused. She did pack what little belongings they had just because she couldn't think of anything else to do. Neither of them slept very long. Shiro was excited that they would be going somewhere other then the cold village that they were born in while she was more than ready to be disappointed. She wasn't. The band of foreigners returned the next morning as promised. Kankuro even offered to take her brother from her back and carry him; Gaara saying that he was used to it when she tried to protest.

That had been over a year ago. They now live in the Hidden Sand Village with an older couple that Temari had arranged to care for them. Her brother was far better then he'd ever been; he was even well enough to attend the academy. Much to everyone's surprise, Gaara, who had been named Kazekage shortly after their arrival, visited several times using Isako as an excuse since he was the only animal that did not run for high ground when he came by.

Arisa couldn't tell him yet but, to her at least, this awkward friendship was something more. She would give her life for him because he had given her brother a chance and despite what had happened when they first met she could never be scared of him. She was too grateful. Perhaps someday she might even show him just how much.


	2. Morning Meeting: An Iruka One Shot

The training grounds were quiet and looking like a scene from some far off dream with the weight of morning fog upon them. It would be a while before students began to arrive and in the calm, Umino Iruka sat looking out over the village. Team 7 were out on a mission with Kakashi, so his urge to drop in on Naruto's breakfast would have to be put off for another day. A rueful smile spread over his lips as he shook his head and rose from his seat. A new group of students was coming in and even though he still worried about the young ninja he had other things that were important now.

Heading back along the path, two streaks of gray captured his attention. A pair of dogs bounded across the grounds. Large dogs. The bigger of the two easily over two hundred pounds from the sight of him. Their silver coats, spotted with black, shone with care in the morning light as muscle played in a dance of lean sinew beneath their fur. He would have taken longer to appreciate them if he had not suddenly noticed the third figure running before them.

A child ran, dressed in a chunin's uniform. Tiny and fleet-footed, she still stumbled her fingers just catching her as she scrambled to her feet again. He couldn't see her face as the young girl looked over her shoulder at the encroaching dogs but he did notice how her pace didn't slow. As the visual truth struck him, she fell, rolling until the dogs converged upon her. From his distance he couldn't tell if they were hurting her but what he could see were paws raking at her clothes and two large muzzles trying to weed beneath her curled up limbs.

Snapping out of his shocked daze he moved with a sudden shift of motion, slamming the largest dog broadside into the other before scooping the small girl into his arms. A quick preliminary check for any wounds took just enough time for the dogs to regain their composure. Growls that rolled like thunder reverberated around him as they parted to circle. Heads lowered and long, vicious, teeth bared they focused solely upon him. The little girl's eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked up at him apparently in too much shock to speak. He couldn't even grace her with a reassuring smile as he shifted her up onto his back with one arm. His fingers slipping slowly into the pouch on his thigh only to have the smallest of the two canines focus upon his motions and advance.

In the next moment several things happened that seemed to cause time to stand still. His kunai had flown and was knocked away with a ping of metal. The lunging dog curtailed its leap at the last second practically rolling in the air before falling to its feet. The young girl had cried out for him to stop and a careening whistle cut through the air. A step back taken in shock, Iruka looked to the weapon that was pinned to the ground through the finger hole by another kunai. The skill it would take to do that meant that the new player in this game was far from a novice.

Both dogs obeyed the high-toned order, setting their snarls and gaze wholly upon Iruka; another Kunai taken to hang ready from his fingertips. Confusion tore across his features when the young girl tried to climb down from his secure grasp. He held fast as he watched the woman step before him. Worn on her brow was the mark of the Hidden Rain Village and on her face was an emotionless mask that forced him to draw in a breath. Eyes like summer thunderheads narrowed beneath thick lashes, full lips drew out into a thin line as her gaze moved to the young girl. It was as if he bore no threat to her at all. He felt the child shrink slightly behind him and his grip become more secure upon the blade he still held.

Looking finally to him the woman let a sigh fall from her lips, her voice low and calm, "Could you put her down, please, we are running late."

"Are those dogs yours?"

"No. They're hers." Nodding to the young girl, she raked the long fall of silken hair back from her face; its shifting strands revealing streaks of silver hidden within. The level look that she graced him with slipping away to focus again on the young charge he also glanced at, "Now if you are done playing Kimi, you are going to be late for our meeting with the Lady Hokage."

A tiny voice concurred with what was being said and after asking to be let down momentarily clung to him as he warily complied. His normally soft eyes watching as she stepped around and moved to join the other woman's side. Remaining stoic she felt him keeping an eye on her before finally turning to speak to him more directly. "I am sorry; Kimi tends to get carried away when playing with her companions."

Iruka nodded, curious as to what her purpose was here and that curiosity grew even more when she shifted to kneel before the young girl. In her hand was the rain village's protector. The little girl blushed as she took it back and quickly tied it around her forehead.

"You're here to see Lady Tsunade? You're from the Hidden Rain Village, correct?"

"Both are correct."

"Can I ask what your business is?"

"For the most part that is between my self and the Hokage, however..." rising to step closer to him, she finally smiled. The effect completely changing her features. No longer cold but now warm and friendly she offered her hand in greeting. "I am Kana. I've been invited here as an instructor since you are short handed after the attack your village suffered."

His brows knit, "You're instructing Genin?"

"No, I actually specialize in instructing black ops, so I will be sorting out a team from the most promising for more in-depth training."

Looking to the little girl his confusion was again clear upon his features, "And what of your young companion?" His smile was warm and welcoming as he offered his hand once it left Kana's. "I'm sorry but you just look so young to be wearing that on your forehead."

Kimi just smiled as her guardian watched them greet one another, speaking up to introduce the young girl more, "She's nine and she's already passed the Chunin exam in our village."

"I completely blew past my mom! She was ten!"

"I-I see..." looking from one to the other, he suddenly understood, "Very impressive. I'm amazed they let you both leave."

A smirk etched its way over her lips as she turned to head for the village below, "I didn't give them a choice; I swore to my sister that I would always watch over her."

He repeated the word sister before a small smile formed across his own lips. Kana, the dogs and Kimi moved away in a practiced formation of four before she hung back and turned to him again, calling out across the short distance, "Do you like ramen?"

He nodded, his smile not fading.

"I spotted a ramen shop when we came into the village, why don't you meet us there. It would be good for Kimi to get to know others."

"I'll be by after my class lets out."

A small nod in response and she turned once more heading to their meeting still feeling his watchful gaze until they could no longer be seen.


	3. The Assignment: A Kakashi One Shot

Pain gripped her body, her strength ebbing away with the flow of blood from every open wound that now dyed her attire crimson. Every limb felt like lead beneath the jaws of several dogs that held her viciously still. Shadows blurred the edges of her vision as will alone kept her conscious. There across from her stood the one that she had been sent to kill, Hatake Kakashi, his white hair such a vibrant contrast to that single scarlet eye. She'd known it was futile the moment she was told of her target but there was more at stake here then money. More than her own life and not one guarantee that things would be set straight in the end.

"Don't drag it out. Just kill me already."

For a brief moment, her thoughts were revealed in her eyes; the sheer hopelessness she felt and the acceptance of her own demise. It gave him pause and he lowered the kunai that was poised to finish her off watching her tremble from pain and fatigue in the clutches of his Ninken technique. Between them both lay the marker of those fallen, his friends; brothers and sisters in his field. Time and silence stretching out between them as he looked back trying to figure out why she what kept her going.

When she arrived he had been watching the setting sun. The sadness in her deep brown eyes had him hoping that the warning his senses were screaming were wrong. Short cut black hair shaped her head adding to the soft sculpted lines of her heart-shaped face. Long, loose, traveling robes concealing the shinobi's uniform that lay beneath. The sun had become a thin line on the horizon when he had asked her reason for visiting Konoha. Tinted light turning soft tans and browns into new shades of red and orange. From his experiences he had never expected her to speak truthfully.

"I am here on an assignment." When he had simply remained silent, she rose from where she had settled near the edge of the overlook, stepping away from him until midway to the forest path. "I came to bring back proof of a man's death."

Every muscle in his body had stiffened on the word assignment and though he still sat there as if nothing she said affected him, he was preparing for whatever would come next. Those sad eyes looking back at him over her shoulder were dry, soulless, orbs and he had known then that the fight would come.

A blur of motion and both were moving. Blows parried and returned, streaks of blood splattering the ground when a hit would connect. Her own chakras were barely being touched, as if she refused to fight at her full skill; as if she had already resigned herself to losing. For a moment they broke apart staring at each other across the expanse but it didn't last long before the silence was shattered by battle once more and it was made clear that she was no longer willing to hold back. Blood was on his palate from the blow that slipped through his defenses as her technique gave the illusion of six arms. Like a flesh and blood Shiva doppelganger limbs hid the true strike.

He had not intentionally released the Sharingan; instead, one of her strikes had forced away the cover of his protector; the sight startling her and giving him the advantage. His blow sent her skidding on her side and set the stage for her to fight with no holds barred. The moon illuminating her motions he finally called upon his special technique. From the beginning something wasn't right. There was desperation to her actions that went beyond a simple assignment. He was still prepared to kill her. If he had to.

"Don't drag it out… Just kill me already."

Those were the words that had decided it for him. "Why are you so ready to die?"

"Is that not our life? It's obvious I've failed. End it because I will not stop."

Was that regret in her eyes? Certainly sorrow had been there in the depths all along but now he witnessed regret as she watched him come to stand before her. Their faces mere breathes apart he pressed the tip of his kunai beneath her chin feeling her pulse through the tempered metal and watching fear finally rise to the surface of her gaze. "I could kill you but I'm not going to."

Putting away the weapon he stepped back and called off the dogs catching her as her legs gave out. Shock riddled her expression while trembling fingers clutched his arms, he wondered if she even realized that she had begun to cry.

"No… No, please… my…"

"Tell me why." Lowering his protector back over his eye he eased her down to the ground pressing his hand over the worst of the wounds upon her side as he watched her curl into a trembling ball in his lap.

"They took her. They have my sister's child. If I don't bring back proof of your death or die myself, he's going to kill her."

A deep frown creased his mask for a moment before she was drawn up into his arms and they were on their way down to the village to get help. "Tell me where they are."

She could not understand why he was being so gentle. No, that wasn't true. She had been watching him for days with his students and had come to understand far too much. Where he had first been merely a name, albeit well known, she was given a chance to see him as a person and had grown to despise her assignment; she understood, and with that, she told him her niece's name and where she was to bring the wanted proof.

Just before he gave her over to the medical-nin, he left her with a promise, "Let them help you. I will bring her back and I will make sure she is watched over until you are well."

Fitful sleep plagued with worries for her niece and the man that was honorable enough to take on her burden kept her from resting as she should. When they had not returned on the eve of the third day she feared the worst had happened. Not wanting to believe it but unable to deny the possibility. Only medicine had been able to get her to sleep and upon her waking she was certain that she was still dreaming.

Sunlight poured into the room as a warm weight lay against her side. Soft breathing and the scent of soap brought her gaze down to the head of deep brunette hair upon her breast. Tears flooded searching eyes that only needed look to her right to see him sitting there. His book closed and tucked it away at her waking as the movement of a smile shadowed his mask.

"Thank you. I-I owe you everything. Anything. Thank you."

He simply continued to smile and reached to brush a fallen lock of hair from the young girl's forehead, "You don't owe me anything." His gaze cut to her silencing any protest as her niece shifted without waking. "My promise remains. Go back to sleep and get better."

Nodding happily, she bound the child in her arms and with a delicate kiss to her crown let the weight of sleep draw her down into pleasant dreams.


	4. Healing Touch: A Kisame One Shot

Subaki Tomaiyo could never be a shinobi though it was something she had always wanted to become. Both of her older sisters were famed kunoichi from the Hidden Mist village but an accident when she was little left her blind and pretty much rejected by her father, though her older siblings were still warm and caring towards her. Tomaiyo's sisters had been the only thing to carry her through her childhood and when she found her own hidden skills, they had been the ones to push her to perfect them. Blindness apparently had one bonus. It opened up an inner sight that aided her in becoming one of the leading medical-nin in the village. She could "see" disrupted chakra through the touch of her hands and to her, every poison and every disease had its own "image". She could tell apart the herbs, and all vegetation in general, needed for cures with this same sight.

Despite never having completed the academy, Tomaiyo was honored with the title of a medical-nin and shortly after her 24th birthday she was assigned as one of instructors of the medical corps. Both events unheard of in a clan that once held the most bloodiest of Chunin exams. It had earned her the long desired respect of her father and the village kept her as their most closely guarded secret. Their best black ops were assigned to her protection even though she never really understood why. She could be doing so much outside of the village; new cures and poisons to study, nevertheless, it was rare for them to even let her leave her home.

One day, her eldest sister, Ayane, took over for the men that typically watched her. It was a rare treat but every time she came, Tomaiyo was allowed to travel. She savored the brief bit of freedom and in disguise they traveled to the seaside. Ayana let her roam alone once they arrived even though dusk was setting in since no one outside of the village knew Tomaiyo's face as that of the Kirigakure's famed healer.

The sound of the surf and the feel of sand beneath her feet always made her happy. However, she was never brave enough to venture into the water any further then her knees; afraid of not sensing a threat or swimming out to sea instead of to the shore if the current caught her. She had a week to enjoy it and nothing was going to stop her. The deserted stretch of beach cut along a small cove away from the more public sections of coastline; it let her wander without too much worry of being in anyone's way. Ayane had found it during their last trip away from their village and made certain that Tomaiyo knew the way to and from it and the Inn they would stay at. A sense of independence filled the younger woman each time she was allowed to go alone to what was beginning to feel like her own private beach.

Suddenly a startled cry broached her lips as her foot hit something solid and sent her falling face first towards the sand but she never hit. A pair of broad, shaky, hands captured her before carefully lowering her to kneel on the ground. Where she had been cursing herself for not being careful now she was actually trembling, worried about who she had just tripped over. Her apology stuttered from soft rose hued lips until something unnerving sank into her thoughts. The person hadn't moved, even with her knees pressed against their side, the one that had caught her remained perfectly still. The pace of their breathing was far too shallow to her ears. Her embarrassment quickly shifted, she was suddenly very serious as her fingers slid from the gloves she wore and pressed into the sticky sand at his side. Delicate lengths slid along until they fell upon the warm, wet, cloth that covered a man's torso.

"W-what… are y-you doing?" His voice was rough, a growl that reminded her of a ship captain she once met, as if he was someone used to being on the open sea.

"You're hurt." He grunted in response as she let her inner sight flow out through her hands to seek his wounds.

"And you're blind. What can… you…"

A small quirk of a smile touched her lips as he realized that her own chakra was traveling within him like a warm current focusing upon the salt washed wounds. "I do not need my eyes for what I can do. I'm Tomaiyo and if you'll let me, I can help you."

"What else can you see?"

Had that been a twinge of fear in his voice? His fingers certainly trembled as they sought out the curve of her thigh above the bloodied sands. Their strength lightly gripping the smooth flesh as he awaited her answer. The touch drawing a shocked gasp to rise from her, "many things but only their chakra not their true image."

The answer seemed to calm him as she reached into the pouch at her hip after parting the cloth that covered him. The tone of his body burned fingertips giving her an impression of training and strength and once more leaving her worried about just who, or what, had injured him. Lifting the bottle of ointment she set it upon his chest before working to clean out the large gash upon his hip with the water she had brought with her. It was ragged, the flesh torn not cut. The sheer violence of the impact that caused it shocking her as she began to use thread born of chakra to mend the shredded flesh and muscle. He made no sound through out the whole ordeal, not even when she sutured several smaller wounds with a similar technique.

Left weak by the expense of her energy she rested there, kneeling at his side as the moon shone down on the both of them. She didn't realize that she fell asleep until she woke in a bed with her sister's worried presence watching over her. It took most of the day to reassure her that all was well but she was still unable to return to the beach for another two days. When Ayane was finally satisfied that she would be alright, Tomaiyo made her way back to the place that she found the wounded man. Doubting she would find him again, her steps drew her out into the water where she stood listening to the ebb and flow of the sea. The cool waves lapping at her knees.

Her breath was stolen away as water surrounded her before she could realize that she was being drug further from the shore. Panic washed over her as the taste of brine flooded her mouth and filled her lungs. Unconsciousness threatened and before it took complete hold the burn of air forced seawater violently from her body. Choking until tears ran from her eyes, Tomaiyo just vaguely realized that someone was holding her close. The chill of shadows and the echo of the water told her that she was no longer out in the open. Pushing against the broad chest pressed against her, she tried to get away.

"Tomaiyo."

She stilled. The touch of her hands sliding over the firm surface of flesh that began to feel familiar, "You. You've kidnapped me! Why? I-I helped you!"

"You're valuable. Someone like you would be a great asset to the… to us."

Panic returned and once again she was struggling to get away not noticing that he was being very careful not to hurt her even though his embrace didn't falter. Tears streamed down her face as she slowly gave in to the inevitable, finally just letting him keep her afloat in the lazy current. "They will send others to get me. My... My sister will..."

"I know but I won't let them. Tomaiyo, I swear no one is going to hurt you, ever, not even me." Seeing the confusion upon her face, he leaned closer softly brushing the cool touch of his lips against her ear. "We have a ways to go before I meet up with the others."

Before she could respond she was again taken under the water only this time there was no cruel invasion of the sea into her lungs. A gentle seal of lips parting her own and sharing breath as the sea enveloped them once more.


	5. Within the Tea Leaves: A Lee One Shot

Misaki had lived in Konoha her whole life watching the others grow up and attend the academy while she remained home with her grandparents. She was all they had left in the world and because of the loss of her parents, they had pleaded with her to refuse joining the ranks at the academy. Out of her love for them and gratitude for taking her in and caring for her, she accepted their plea, learning instead the art of tea making. She knew which teas could cure a cold or ease fatigue, which would sooth a weary body or simply put a busy mind into a restful sleep. Her grandfather's ochaya was renowned in the village. Even the Lady Hokage and her predecessor had purchased her teas from his stock making her all the more proud to be the heir to his craft and business.

On this day, like so many before, she spent her time searching for new herbs and spices and flowers to dry for her trade. It was a truly beautiful day. The scent of that morning's rain still clung to the dirt and grass making everything smell fresh and new. The woodland that surrounded the village rose up around her letting streamers of sunlight cut through to shine upon the low bushes and tall roots mapping the forest floor. Nooks, crannies and clearings harbored the supplies she sought and she had been so absorbed in her search that she hadn't noticed just how far she had wandered that morning until voices broke through her thoughts.

One was pleading, which caught her attention and drew her closer to the edge of the forest. The other was resigned, which only confused her more as she spotted TenTen and Lee. She knew them both, kind of; she had seen them from time to time at the tea house and in passing. Lee always seemed so upbeat. A regular glass-half-full type but right now even she could tell something was very wrong as he drew up his knees and continued to stare out over the secluded training grounds.

Frowning, TenTen shook her head at his continued state before finally leaving him to his own devices. Misaki knew that It really wasn't any of her business. She should have just kept walking. One foot in front of the other, she needed those herbs. Only she found herself coming to stand just slightly behind him, her hands clutching the basket's handle in a near death grip.

"Go away, TenTen, I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to talk about anything that you don't want to."

He moved so quickly at the sound of her voice that she barely even saw him come to his feet before he was standing there staring at her, his eyes wide with shock. A warm smile slowly moved to capture her lips as he just continued to stare at her.

"Hello. I'm Chihara Misaki."

Nodding, he had just barely registered what she said but it had worked to drag him from his surprise. Shaking his head, he dropped his eyes and stared hard at the ground. "Rock Lee. H-how long have you been…."

"Not long, Lee. I was picking herbs in the forest and saw you. You looked so sad, I just wanted to be sure you were alright."

A blush stole over his cheeks as he looked up at her, his expression saying far more then words could. He was surprised that someone like her worried about him. A perfect stranger that he thought was out of his league. One that he felt an odd sense of knowing. "Do I know you? You look familiar."

"I work at my grandfather's ochaya, Shirahime?"

"I know that place."

"Hopefully in a good way," she just continued to smile; the feeling of his thoughts seemed to be lighter as he returned the simple gesture.

"So you're going to take over for him later?"

Nodding, she looked out over the training field, "I promised them I wouldn't follow in the path of my parents. I regret it a little bit but I'll be happy."

"That's a good way of looking at it…" Nervously rubbing the back of his neck, he smiled again at her before lowering into a small bow. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I have to get back to my training."

"Of course, I still have to finish my errand as well." Parting ways, she couldn't help but look back with a touch of wistful envy in her eyes. How she would love to be able to train whenever she liked.

For several days after that first meeting, she found herself bumping into Lee here and there. Usually when she was out gathering herbs. During their brief conversations, she'd learned more about him then she had ever thought to know before. After a few meetings she had even begun bringing along a specially brewed tea just for him that would help to restore his tired muscles and used chakra. Nothing overly potent but he often thanked her for how it worked.

It was a few weeks after they'd first met that she found herself cutting through the woods near the training grounds after visiting a small patch of herbs she was tending. Unlike all those other days however, she found herself stopped dead in her tracks. Lee had begun to become a good friend. She agreed with the rest of the girls about his hair and the intensity of his gaze often brought a smile to her lips but she had also seen him sad, seen him concentrate and once even sleep when he had worked himself too hard before she had arrived. His ambition and drive impressed her. Nevertheless, that was not what impressed her now nor was it what made her mouth go dry.

She should have known. He was actually very strong, and very fast. She had been watching him train but it never occurred to her until that very moment the exact physical shape he was in.

"Oh! Misaki, I didn't see you there." He bore a sheepish grin and an embarrassed blush as he reached for his discarded top.

She had always thought that it was one piece. As a matter of fact, she was certain that it was after seeing Sensei Gai torment Neji with another one of them a few days before. Of course, Lee would have more then one, wouldn't he? They couldn't all be just one piece, could they? Apparently not...

Blinking back from the unauthorized side trip her eyes went on she looked back to his face. There was something different about his smile now. Something softer, warmer, even his eyes were less intense then normal. As he smoothed out his top, she finally found the power to speak again, "I-I didn't mean to interrupt. I brought tea. I brought you some tea." Holding it out from her frozen body she watched him step towards her. Swallowing against the desert that was her throat she had to force her eyes to remain on his. "It will help with fatigue and muscle aches. I…"

"Thank you, Misaki. You're too nice to me."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Then she remembered how almost everyone else seemed to treat him and found her eyes drifting to the tips of her shoes. "People are stupid. You're a great guy. Anyone would be smart and lucky to call you friend, Lee. I've barely known you a month and already I know that you'd do anything for a friend."

"I wish everyone was as kind as you."

She was about to respond when the touch of two fingers gently came to rest beneath her chin. Her own hand rising to capture his wrist within its grasp even as she allowed him to tip her gaze up to him. She couldn't explain it but for some reason she didn't want to back away as his head lowered. The path pausing barely before his lips touched her's, his eyes taking in the surprise that widened in her own.

"You looked beyond what everyone else sees. You took me for who I am no matter how silly, or serious, or hyperactive, I have been. I know I've said it before but I truly mean it with you, Misaki, I'd protect you with my life."

A small tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled and wound her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. His nose came to rest along side hers just keeping the kiss from happening, though his breath warmed her lips until his name slipped from between them. The kiss was sweet and passionate, his embrace strong and gentle at the same time. He contradicted himself even when he didn't try but she didn't care as she melted into the sensations, both of them completely indifferent to the figure watching from the edge of the training grounds.

Sensei Gai smiled before shifting from his lean against the tree and turning to leave them both alone.


End file.
